Intel Corporation

Tahoe Research, Ltd.

Marie Krysak

James M Blackwell

Florian Gstrein

Robert L Bristol

Kevin Lai Lin

Manish Chandhok

Eungnak Han

Rami Hourani

Charles Henry Wallace

Richard E Schenker

Paul Anton Nyhus

Lauren Doyle

Swaminathan Sivakumar

Elliot Tan

Curtis W Ward

Mark T Bohr

Hui Jae Yoo

Ruth Amy Brain

Tristan A Tronic

Jeffery D Bielefeld

Jessica M Torres

Tayseer Mahdi

Gurpreet Singh

Jasmeet S Chawla

Todd R Younkin

Patrick Theofanis

Shane M Harlson

Kent N Frasure

David J Michalak

Scott Bruce Clendenning

Stephanie A Bojarski

Sudipto Naskar

Michael J Leeson

Michael Robinson

Brandon Jay Holybee

Xuanxuan Chen

Cen Tan

Emily Walker

Brian Zaccheo

Ruth A Brain

Advanced lithography techniques including sub-10 nm pitch patterning and structures resulting therefrom are described. Self-assembled devices and their methods of fabrication are described.

Advanced lithography and self-assembled devices

Embodiments include a substrate and a method of forming the substrate. A substrate includes an interlayer dielectric and conductive traces in the interlayer dielectric (ILD). The conductive traces may include a first conductive trace surrounded by a second and third conductive traces. The substrate also includes a photoresist block in a region of the ILD. The region may be directly surrounded by the ILD and first conductive trace, and the photoresist block may be between the first conductive trace. The photoresist block may have a top surface that is substantially coplanar to top surfaces of the ILD and conductive traces. The photoresist block may have a width substantially equal to a width of the conductive traces. The photoresist block may be in the first conductive trace and between the second and third conductive traces. The photoresist block may include a metal oxide core embedded with organic ligands.

Metal oxycarbide resists as leave behind plugs

A chemical composition includes a polymer chain having a surface anchoring group at a terminus of the polymer chain. The surface anchoring group is metal or dielectric selective and the polymer chain further includes at least one of a photo-acid generator, quencher, or a catalyst. In some embodiments, the surface anchoring group is metal selective or dielectric selective. In some embodiments, the polymer chain includes side polymer chains where the side polymer chains include polymers of photo-acid generators, quencher, or catalyst.

Chemical compositions and methods of patterning microelectronic device structures

Disclosed herein are structures and techniques utilizing directed self-assembly for microelectronic device fabrication. For example, a microelectronic structure may include a patterned region including a first conductive line and a second conductive line, wherein the second conductive line is adjacent to the first conductive line; and an unordered region having an unordered lamellar pattern, wherein the unordered region is coplanar with the patterned region.

Directed self-assembly structures and techniques

Techniques, structures, and materials related to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are discussed. Multiple patterning inclusive of first patterning a grating of parallel lines and second patterning utilizing EUV lithography to form plugs in the grating, and optional trimming of the plugs may be employed. EUV resists, surface treatments, resist additives, and optional processing inclusive of plug healing, angled etch processing, electric field enhanced post exposure bake are described, which provide improved processing reliability, feature definition, and critical dimensions.

EUV patterning methods, structures, and materials

Approaches based on differential hardmasks for modulation of electrobucket sensitivity for semiconductor structure fabrication, and the resulting structures, are described. In an example, a method of fabricating an interconnect structure for an integrated circuit includes forming a hardmask layer above an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer formed above a substrate. A plurality of dielectric spacers is formed on the hardmask layer. The hardmask layer is patterned to form a plurality of first hardmask portions. A plurality of second hardmask portions is formed alternating with the first hardmask portions. A plurality of electrobuckets is formed on the alternating first and second hardmask portions and in openings between the plurality of dielectric spacers. Select ones of the plurality of electrobuckets are exposed to a lithographic exposure and removed to define a set of via locations.

Differential hardmasks for modulation of electrobucket sensitivity

Lined photoresist structures to facilitate fabricating back end of line (BEOL) interconnects are described. In an embodiment, a hard mask has recesses formed therein, wherein liner structures are variously disposed each on a sidewall of a respective recess. Photobuckets comprising photoresist material are also variously disposed in the recesses. The liner structures variously serve as marginal buffers to mitigate possible effects of misalignment in the exposure of photoresist material to photons or an electron beam. In another embodiment, a recess has disposed therein a liner structure and a photobucket that are both formed by self-assembly of a photoresist-based block-copolymer.

Lined photobucket structure for back end of line (BEOL) interconnect formation

Two-stage bake photoresists with releasable quenchers for fabricating back end of line (BEOL) interconnects are described. In an example, a photolyzable composition includes an acid-deprotectable photoresist material having substantial transparency at a wavelength, a photo-acid-generating (PAG) component having substantial transparency at the wavelength, and a base-generating component having substantial absorptivity at the wavelength.

Two-stage bake photoresist with releasable quencher

A photosensitive composition including metal nanoparticles capped with an organic ligand, wherein the metal particles includes a metal that absorbs light in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum. A method including synthesizing metal particles including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less, wherein the metal particles includes a metal that absorbs light in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum; and capping the metal particles with an organic ligand. A method including depositing a photosensitive composition on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the photosensitive composition includes metal nanoparticles capped with an organic ligand and the nanoparticles include a metal that absorbs light in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum; exposing the photosensitive composition to light in an ultraviolet spectrum through a mask including a pattern; and transferring the mask pattern to the photosensitive composition.

Ligand-capped main group nanoparticles as high absorption extreme ultraviolet lithography resists

A dielectric composition including a metal oxide particle including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less capped with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including synthesizing metal oxide particles including a diameter of 5 nanometers or less; and capping the metal oxide particles with an organic ligand at at least a 1:1 ratio. A method including forming an interconnect layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first hardmask material and a different second hardmask material on the interconnect layer, wherein at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material is formed over an area of interconnect layer target for a via landing and at least one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material include metal oxide nanoparticles; and forming an opening to the interconnect layer selectively through one of the first hardmask material and the second hardmask material.

Metal oxide nanoparticles as fillable hardmask materials

A photoresist is disclosed. The photoresist includes a polymer with one repeating unit and an absorbing unit.

Chain scission photoresists and methods for forming chain scission photoresists

Catalysts for facilitating cross-linking of liquid precursors into solid dielectric materials are disclosed. Initially, catalysts are protected, either by coordination with other compounds or by conversion to an ionic salt. Protection prevents catalysts from facilitating cross-linking unless activated. A catalyst is activated upon receiving an excitation, e.g. thermal excitation by heating. Upon receiving an excitation, protection of a catalyst dissociates, decomposes, becomes neutralized, or is otherwise transformed to allow the catalyst to facilitate cross-linking of the precursors into solid dielectric materials. Methods for fabricating dielectric materials using such protected catalysts as well as devices comprising the resulting materials are also described. Dielectric materials comprising cross-linked cyclic carbosilane units having a ring structure including C and Si may be formed in this manner. Protected catalysts disclosed herein allow careful control of precursor cross-linking, resulting in higher quality dielectric materials that may be formed by coating techniques.

Activation of protected cross-linking catalysts during formation of dielectric materials

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Marie Krysak